Fleishman, Debra Ann.

This research explored the patient in the intensive care units experience of care from a phenomenological perspective. The question guiding the study was: What is the meaning of care for patients in the intensive care unit? Using a phenomenological approach, six participants described their experiences of the phenomenon of care. The eight essential themes that emerged from the analysis of the descriptions of care for the patients in ICU are: (1) Being connected; (2) Feeling watched over; (3) Feeling the presence; (4) Feeling commitment; (5) Receiving Compassion; (6) Feeling valued as a person; (7) Receiving comfort; and (8) Experiencing Competence. Further analysis lead to the thematic phrase: The Essence of Isolation-Union while feeling the Presence and Competency of others. The unity of meaning was then discovered from analysis of the essential themes and thematic phrase. The unity of meaning which captures the experience of care for a person in the ICU setting is: The Illumination of the Human Spirit in the Celebration of Life.